Chapter 410: Time Is Running Out (1)
The exposure of the Salvation Church dealt a critical blow to the ducal family.
The Four Major Temples declared the Salvation Church a heretical sect, causing the lords aligned with the ducal faction to break away one after another.
Particularly, the defection of Marquis Roderick struck the hardest blow. As a powerful noble, his shift to the Royal Faction triggered a chain reaction, with others scrambling to prove they were not heretics.
At this point, the ducal family could no longer feign ignorance and expect it to work.
Had it been a different issue, even if the underlings confessed, they could have been ignored and asked for more solid proof.
However, with the Four Major Temples officially condemning them as public enemies of the continent, the temples couldn’t back down without losing their authority.
Now, neither side could afford to retreat.
Bang!
Raul, the ducal family’s chief strategist, slammed his desk and glared at the middle-aged man in a black robe standing before him.
“Judge Gartros! What is the meaning of this? For something like this to explode just before the war! This will only make things more difficult!”
Around the time Ghislain and Marquis Roderick began their war, the ducal family had also finished rallying their vassals and preparing for battle. But instead of moving together, the ducal lords had betrayed them.
Now, the ducal family found itself in an extremely disadvantageous situation, having to face not just the nobles of the kingdom, but also the temples.
“Facing the entire kingdom is possible. But the Four Major Temples as well? Even if we win, foreign nations will intervene! And what about the ‘Gate’? Marquis Branford has discovered it!”
Raul was seething with rage.
News had just arrived that even the location of the ‘Rift’ had been revealed. The entire kingdom was in chaos, and it was beyond his power to control the situation alone.
The middle-aged man called Gartros met Raul’s glare with calm, profound eyes.
“It seems Lavierre made a mistake. If only the crusaders had not been exposed, we could have managed. But for the ‘Gate’s location to be discovered as well…”
That location, above all else, was never to be revealed. Yet somehow, due to Lavierre’s actions, Marquis Branford had mobilized his army.
“If it had only been where Lavierre died, we could dismiss it as coincidence. But for them to pinpoint other locations so accurately means… someone inside must have leaked information.”
“…Are you suggesting we have a traitor among us?”
“Perhaps Lavierre revealed it before he died. But right now, nothing is certain.”
“Then what should we do? We can’t make any moves at the moment. Though the same goes for them.”
Neither the Royal Faction nor the Four Major Temples had yet made a move to attack the ducal family directly. That was how formidable their power remained. It was like a mouse trying to bell a cat.
However, everyone knew the confrontation was inevitable. Tensions were at an all-time high.
After a moment of contemplation, Gartros asked,
“Has the Apostle said anything?”
The “Apostle” referred to Duke Ernhardt Delfine.
The Salvation Church had entrusted him with the mission of the Apostle, yet strangely, he had refrained from voicing his opinions in recent times.
Raul shook his head several times.
“Once again, he’s told us to handle it ourselves. But he must be disappointed. The Grand Plan has been delayed so many times now…”
“And what of Executor Aiden?”
“He’s on standby. Originally, he was supposed to head north as soon as the war with the Royal Faction began, but since things have stalled… Marquis Roderick and Count Fenris are still fighting each other.”
“Who do you think will win?”
“I’m estimating a fifty-fifty chance. Marquis Roderick has a larger force, but Count Fenris has reached the level of a Master.”
Gartros nodded and, after brief consideration, replied.
“Understood. Wait a little longer. I need to assess the situation further.”
The Salvation Church was on edge. They needed to confirm whether the Royal Faction had uncovered more information about the Rift.
However, it wasn’t long before they realized the situation was even worse than they’d anticipated.
Ritania’s powerful noble, Marquis Branford, was widely known across other kingdoms as well.
The letters he had sent to other kingdoms detailed the Salvation Church’s crimes and the location of the Rift.
The reactions from the nearby kingdoms varied widely:
“The Four Major Temples have confirmed this?”
“Could it be true that such figures have infiltrated our kingdom too?”
“This is absurd!”
“But if it’s Marquis Branford of Ritania saying this, we can’t simply dismiss it, can we?”
“We must confirm this immediately…”
Amusingly, some of the influential figures in various kingdoms refused to investigate. However, they couldn’t ignore the pressure even the temples were exerting.
In the end, the deeds committed by the Salvation Church were gradually uncovered in other kingdoms as well.
The entire continent was thrown into shock. A cult had been operating for so long, killing countless people without their knowledge?
Moreover, they had been performing unknown rituals in secret places.
Rumors spread uncontrollably. The backlash, particularly among the intellectual class, was fierce.
“What were the nobles even doing?”
“They were too busy lining their own pockets to notice a cult carrying out such activities!”
“The kingdom needs reform!”
Now, chaos erupted in unexpected places. The Revolutionary Group, which had been keeping quiet, began to stir, and many joined their cause.
Amidst this, the nobles who had been aligned with the Salvation Church couldn’t withstand the surrounding pressure and raised their armies.
Unlike the Duke of Delfine, most kingdoms didn’t have nobles powerful enough to remain untouched by the kingdom’s authority.
Those nobles had no choice but to act before they were the ones targeted.
“A rebellion has broken out in the Kingdom of Seiron!”
“A civil war has started in the Kingdom of Turian…”
“The Kingdom of Moravis is even attacking the temples…”
The entire continent was boiling over with war. With the situation escalating this far, the Salvation Church could no longer stay hidden.
They revealed their true identities and openly supported the nobles who had cooperated with them. At the same time, they began forcibly converting people in regions where they held influence.
“This is a complete mess.”
Upon receiving the report, Raul could only mutter those words. The entire continent had indeed turned into utter chaos.
And the one who started this chaos… was just a single person.
“Count Fenris…”
How could a single person hold such influence?
He had not only ruined the affairs of the ducal family but also captured Lavierre and exposed the Salvation Church’s plans.
Gartros also reprimanded Raul.
“Why didn’t you eliminate him sooner? Wasn’t our cover blown far earlier than we planned? Half of the gates we prepared have already been closed.”
“……”
Raul had no words to defend himself. The task of overturning Ritania had been his responsibility.
But who could have imagined this? That the northern brat would grow so much in just a few years and ruin everything?
Gartros, having seen the reports, understood Raul’s frustration and did not press further. His words came from his own regret.
“For some reason, a considerable number of gates have already been closed. It seems Lavierre either confessed or was subjected to mental manipulation. How could such a thing even be possible…”
Ghislain had done no such thing as mind control. Someone as powerful as Lavierre would never have been susceptible to such techniques. It was equally absurd to think he had confessed willingly.
Yet, there was no other way to explain the current situation.
“There’s no choice. We must open the remaining gates before they are sealed…”
“But aren’t they still a bit unstable?”
“We can’t afford to wait any longer. If we delay, we’ll be the ones destroyed first. The other Inquisitors share the same view.”
The Salvation Church had now become the enemy of the entire continent. So had the nobles who had allied with them.
They couldn’t face all the kingdoms of the continent on their own. At this rate, defeat was inevitable.
Ultimately, the only remaining option was to summon a different kind of power.
“Though the plan has been severely disrupted, the continent has still been thrown into sufficient chaos. Besides, there’s not much time left before the appointed date.”
Thud!
Gartros struck the ground with his staff as he spoke.
“Deliver the message to all followers in Ritania. We will now open the ‘Gates’ and begin the ‘Holy War’ to create a new world.”
“This is the work of our lord.”
“Hmm.”
Hearing Claude’s report, Ghislain let out a satisfied smile.
The entire continent’s kingdoms were in turmoil. Everyone had raised their armies, determined to destroy the Salvation Church and close the rifts.
Even Claude hadn’t expected the situation to escalate this far. Ghislain’s actions had now reached a continental scale.
It was both impressive and absurd.
Of course, for Ghislain, the current situation couldn’t be more favorable.
‘Everyone has become alert now.’
In my past life, I was caught off guard without any preparation. No one had prepared soldiers, so in the early days of the calamity, we suffered tremendous losses.
But now, things are different. The number of rifts had significantly decreased compared to my past life, and the lords were growing tense due to their wariness of the Salvation Church.
The problem was that there were always some fools who wouldn’t listen.
“What’s with these guys claiming they want to study them?”
“They say they want to leave one or two rifts open in each kingdom to find out what they are. Seems like the mutants have piqued their curiosity.”
“Ha… There are just too many fools who won’t listen to reason. Even after all the explanations, they’re still doing this?”
“People tend not to believe things unless they see them for themselves. And they probably want to find out if they can use it to their advantage.”
It was the same in my past life. Quite a few people had obsessed over figuring out how to harness the power for themselves.
The information Ghislain had provided about the rifts was limited.
Even he didn’t remember every single rift from his past life. There were places he hadn’t experienced personally, ones too far away, or simply those he hadn’t paid attention to. It was inevitable that some had escaped his notice.
There were surely places in the Ritania Kingdom that had been missed too. Reducing the number of rifts as much as possible would minimize the damage, yet some were deliberately leaving discovered ones alone.
If one of those rifts opened, the damage would be catastrophic.
Clicking his tongue after hearing the report, Ghislain remarked,
“Tsk. I can’t go around closing every single one myself. They’ll only come to their senses after taking a few hits.”
“For now, we should focus on being fully prepared ourselves.”
“Yeah, we must. The upcoming battles will be even fiercer.”
Ghislain roughly explained the information about the rifts to his retainers. Naturally, the Royal Faction was informed as well.
He warned that people living near rifts would gradually mutate and that strange, unidentified entities would emerge from them.
People were curious about how Ghislain knew such things, but he managed to brush it off by claiming Lavierre had told him.
Since mutants had indeed been discovered, his explanation was grudgingly accepted.
“What about the movements of the Salvation Church?”
“They’re acting alongside the lords they’ve allied with. Though their followers are few, the priests’ powers are reportedly quite formidable. Especially the high priests, who, though rare, seem to possess strength comparable to superhumans.”
“Suppressing them all won’t be easy.”
“The situation varies in each kingdom. Some are cornered, while others are expanding their influence. Few places remain in a stalemate like the Ritania Kingdom.”
“That makes sense. Attacking the Duke of Delfine first here would be difficult.”
It was only natural since the ducal house was so powerful. Even with the involvement of the Four Major Temples, it was difficult to challenge them recklessly.
On top of that, the high priests of the Salvation Church, who displayed near-superhuman strength, were another major problem.
However, their side was no longer weak either. The fact that this stalemate had lasted so far was proof that even the ducal house could not ignore the strength of the Royal Faction.
The problem was, this situation wouldn’t last much longer.
“Now that the Salvation Church has started to move in earnest, this balance won’t hold.”
“Do you think they’ll try using those rifts?”
“Yeah, that would be the easiest way to weaken other lords and create chaos.”
Claude nodded gravely.
“Hm, we need to prepare quickly.”
His grim expression wasn’t because of the severity of the situation it was because of how much work needed to be done.
Ghislain nodded as well.
“We’ve secured plenty of Fairy’s Blessing, right?”
“Yes, and we’re managing the wild sources carefully. We should be able to keep up the supply for the next few years.”
Fairy’s Blessing was the most critical ingredient for making potions. Thanks to it, Fenris had secured an immense stockpile of potions.
These potions were also being supplied to Ferdium.
But Fairy’s Blessing wasn’t only used for potions.
“How’s the development of the other medicine going?”
“We’ve diluted it just enough to enter mass production. We can make hundreds of bottles from a single root.”
“Good. We’re going to need a lot of that ‘medicine.’ Keep ramping up production.”
“But… do we really need this much?”
“Yes. Not for us, but for others. Send the formula to the Royal Faction as well. Make sure to tell Marquis Branford to distribute it to other kingdoms too.”
“Understood.”
Until now, it had been Ghislain’s fight alone. But not anymore.
Even with the number of rifts reduced, the threat remained. What could be shared had to be shared, and what could be taught had to be taught.
Only then could they hope to overcome the looming disaster that would strike the continent.
While developing the new medicine Ghislain had shared, Fenris was also intensifying efforts to reinforce their troops and produce weapons.
More soldiers, more weapons that was what Ghislain wanted.
At the same time, stabilizing the western region was keeping everyone busier than ever.
One night, while everyone was caught up in their frantic efforts, the people of the territory gathered under the night sky.
“Wow, it’s beautiful!”
“I’ve never seen so many shooting stars!”
“Everyone, make a wish!”
Bright shooting stars streaked endlessly across the dark sky.
It felt as if the stars were spreading out across the entire continent.
The people were delighted by the breathtaking sight, one they had never witnessed before.
Only one person.
Only Ghislain stared at the sky with a cold expression.